Aaannd there we go – motivations are starting to be seen. Stephanie is looking for a golden ticket that’s easy to influence and Emrys is the lucky winner. No wonder her ex-boyfriend warned him off her, he’s already seen this side of her. I don’t know if it’s fair to say there is anything inherently wrong with pushing someone to better themselves, but certainly your motivations, and the manner in which you do it, matter. Be wary people who seem to build you up while tearing down others, because that’s a red flag for future heartache, one way or another.

I’d like to think that the truth is somewhere in-between both you and Brett. Stephanie has issues and it’s too early to tell the adverse effects she may have on Emrys, but yes, there are red flags about her. That said, she is also now a main character and not likely to go anywhere soon. Hopefully her character will flesh out to be both complex and compelling. No one is completely good or bad all the time. -She certainly has helped build up Emrys’ ego, though. (And I certainly enjoy drawing her.)

Fair enough. I have to admit I’m getting a bit crusty in my “old” age, particularly since I don’t have a good woman to snap me back to reality when I go off the reservation, but I also tend to be wary of obvious manipulations, which is probably why I’m still single (yeah, I’m stupid). Romance certainly has it’s advantages when it comes to sanity checks. 😉